Thursday, October 13, 2011

PKNS! Mana Boleh Macam Ini!

When the LDP was first built years ago, it was wonderful. I could get to Kelana Jaya from Taman Tun Dr Ismail or Section 16, in PJ, in 10 minutes. It was a breeze.

Then surely and steadily, projects -- residential and commercial -- began to be built along and around the LDP. Before long, the LDP became congested...worse and worse, until today.

And you approved a mega project on the padang!??

How would all this "enhance the living standards of the residents"?

The NST report:

PETALING JAYA: The 30-year-old Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) field in Kelana Jaya is likely to make way for a mega mixed- development project.

The project comprises five 35-storey apartment blocks and two 15-storey business complexes.

The move has irked the 10,000 residents of SS7 near the 7.55ha field.

The development was "discovered" when five residents in the area received a feedback notice on the project from the Petaling Jaya City Council dated Sept 23. The notice stated that the residents had 21 days to provide feedback on the project.

SS7 neighbourhood action committee chairman Datuk Zul Mukhshar Md Shaari said the construction would lead to pollution of the area.

It would also worsen the traffic congestion on the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) as well as SS7's inner roads.

"According to the circular, 2,891 units will be built. Imagine the huge number of cars then."

Zul said it would be a great loss to the sporting arena if the project took off.

The PKNS field and the sports complex have a legacy spanning three decades, besides being one of the venues for the Commonwealth Games in 1998.

"We would like to appeal to the state government to look into this issue as it is built on state land and to consider the effects on the residents," Zul said.

He said residents had put up with numerous projects in their area in the past.

"We had suffered and there should be a stop to this. This area is getting saturated."

He urged the city council to listen to the residents as the land was designated for sports or recreational use.

Zul also said the district land office had classified the PKNS field as a "clubhouse/recreational" zone. He said by law, it could not be sold or change hands without the permission of relevant authorities.

"We are not against development but we urge authorities to build more sustainable projects which protect the greenery and improve the overall living standards."

Committee member Datuk Bahador Shah Md Isa said Kelana Jaya residents were already facing many high-rise developments in the area.

"PKNS should be building public amenities that would benefit residents. They should not just clear greenery for the sake of raking in profits."

SS7 resident Maria Samad was disappointed that the city council only sent out circulars and feedback forms to a few houses.

"Only five received the letters. Most are left in the dark," she said.

Kelana Jaya member of parliament Loh Gwo Burne said the residents claims were legitimate and the developers would have to explain the development in detail.

He said the residents' views were important and the developers should also upgrade the residential inner roads to prevent bad traffic flow.

Loh said he was informed that the council would call for a meeting with all the stakeholders of the project by the end of the month.

A PKNS spokesman said the whole area would be redeveloped to enhance the living standards of its residents.

He said the project would include sports facilities as well as a dedicated ramp connecting the area with the LDP to disperse the anticipated increase in traffic.

"The SS7 residents' privacy will be guaranteed. Cars will not pass through the area as they will use the ramp from LDP," the official said.

3 comments:

First, the authorities stole local roads from Puchong to Damansara for the LDP, bringing in instant crowds from afar to fill local surface roads in the area to the point of perpetual traffic overload.

Then, the local authorities approved dozens of hypermarkets and huge shopping centres to attract more crowds, including one on Football Association of Selangor padang and associated complex.

And now this.

Government gazettes and zoning mean nothing; certainly nothing close to the cost of the paper they were printed on.

Kelana Jaya and its neighbourhood can expect to see a drastic depreciation of the quality of their environment and value of their real estate soon enough, thanks to developers' uncontrollable wanton greed aided by corrupted local government.

Nuraina A Samad

About Me

Singapore-born PJ girl. Journalist with NST for 27 years until March 2006. Became editor-in-chief of a publishing group and media strategist. After three years (2009), is back with NST as managing editor.